TonySpark

I can tell you that in the real world... city I'm getting 25 mpg and highway I'm getting 33 mpg. I really like the taller seating and all the options on my Trax.

I don't think my situation is too unique. I had purchased my 2014 Spark in August to get into a smaller gas consuming vehicle after trading in my 6 year old F-150. I liked the little Spark styling and with the LS I actually enjoyed shifting gears again after many years of automatic vehicles. Unfortunately I found my family and I would park the new Spark and drive a 6 year old Ford Escape on family road trips. The Spark just did not have enough storage for out of town luggage. We traded both the Escape and my Spark on a 2015 Chevrolet Trax. It is loaded with all the options except for the AWD w

I think folks join forums for like minded discussion. Some are posting about similar issues and to me it actually helps for the rest of us to look out for those issues and be a little better prepared on how to deal with them. I personally joined to see how other people are enjoying their Sparks by modifying them for whatever reason and some suggestions I have even tried to improve my own Spark. So far I only have 2000 miles. I hope to continue to have a relatively trouble free vehicle for years. We will see if my luck holds out. Until then, I'll continue lurking and learning from the forum dis

Nice to see a like minded enthusiast....I also tend to sway towards cheap (inexpensive), cheerful (fun to drive), and frugal (making every penny count). I have an LS as well. Your average yearly mileage triples my estimate. But I'm a recent retiree and don't have daily driving commitments....welcome to the forum.

Welcome to the forum. There are plenty of ideas for a new enthusiast to enjoy their new LS. I have the LS also and have really enjoyed it so far. I'm in North Texas near Wichita Falls. What area of OK are you in? -Tony

I actually have the LS and wanted to save a little money on the LT price but did want the advantage of the MyLink stereo over the base radio. I called the dealership here locally and they told me that they were not even able to see the part available to them for an after market install. And this was only a few weeks ago and I have the 2014. -Tony

My 08' Ford F150 would sit in the driveway and my family and I would take another vehicle instead because these days 18 mpg and nearly $4 a gallon for gas was not economically sound. The truck was nearly paid off and had pretty good trade in value. I went to the Chevy dealer and looked at the more economical cars. Once I saw the Spark I test drove one and really liked the styling and sportiness of the little car. I was not really looking to fork out the money for the upgraded models and was actually looking to revert back to the days of manual shifting. I got a good deal on my trade and after

Welcome to the forum. I too have the LS and am enjoying shifting gears again. Looks like you have some modifications in mind. I would suggest adding power locks to at least the front two doors and some on here have benefited from removing or modifying the resonator to get a couple more mpg's or slight gain in oomph. I think the jury is still out but doing that to my Spark seems to have helped out the mpg's slightly. Have fun looking through the posts as there are lots of good ideas for a new enthusiast. -Tony

True on the non-power locks for the LS versions. I had aftermarket power locks put on the front 2 doors. I put new speakers in the front and back to better the sound versus the stock paper cone speakers. I also performed a simple modification by removing the hose that goes from the air box down to the resonator. I'm learning lots of things from browsing the site topics. -Tony

Thanks retired old Gearhead. I am a retiree from the USAF. My days of wasting gas and leaving my full size F-150 in the carport because it was cheaper to take another vehicle are over. My Spark is my daily driver now and I could not be more satisfied. I'm new to the site and have taken on some minor modifications like remove the tube from the airbox down to the resonator to get a couple more mpg's. I changed out the rear deck speakers and have some front one's on the way... just to improve the clarity of sound not necessarily the loudness. Enjoy Miami in your Spark. The only time I was in Flor

They are 19mm. I just took an unused 19 mm socket and purchased an extendable 1/2 ratchet for those times when you need to put some extra pull to tighten or loosen the lug nuts. -Tony

I had been wanting to get a spare since the purchase of my car knowing there was only the tire pump, screw driver and a can of tire sealant for road side tire emergencies. I found the listing on Ebay for Chevy Spark donut spare. The spare was $123 with $27 for shipping. I already had a little bottle jack that I had purchased previously from E-bay and it was very inexpensive. Overall I guess piece of mind won out and given I saved a lot purchasing the LS I could bare the cost a little more easily. I'm still enjoying the 5 speed manual and make any excuse just to get out and drive my new Spark.

I'm probably speaking to the budget/frugal non-audiophile's out there like me... or not:) I also was unimpressed with even the weak sound coming out of the rear speakers in my base LS. I just picked up a pair of Sony XS-4645's at Wally World for $39 and some change. I was actually ok with the front speakers since my hearing loss all I really wanted was very basic clear and concise highs and mid tones. The swap out of the paper cone rear speakers were pretty uneventful even though I had not changed speakers in my vehicles since my younger days. If you are like me and don't require a booming sou

True about the price for the service guys. I was probably impressed more by the function available in the base model, but as all things there is a price in the end to pay. I put in the snap XM radio, aftermarket keyless, and tinted the windows. I think the upgraded speakers are next and that should be it in keeping the vehicle cost down and functions there that I like to have. I am enjoying looking through the forum topics and getting good ideas. I did the hose removal from the resonator and though I can't see a big change my mpg's have gone up by 1 or 2....all good, and still enjoying my "All

I used the OnStar today for the first time and was very impressed. Though I purposefully chose the base LS model with the base stereo I thought I was lacking in gps function without tethering the MyLink like in the LT. The directions were sent to the car and each route input would show up on the radio screen just like a normal gps. Now it was not color and it did not have any user display variables it was still clear and right on the money accurate. I'll keep the OnStar for that reason and the ability to use it for calls when I don't have my cell available. I was just thrilled at how even the